


Strength and Other Disillusions

by essential_bee



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Black & White | Pokemon Black and White Versions
Genre: Dysfunctional Family, Fate & Destiny, Gen, Isshu-chihou | Unova Region (Pokemon), Nuzlocke Challenge, Other, Pokemon Black 2 Version, Siblings, Siblings helping siblings, Swearing, Violence, mature is for swearing and violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-25 00:46:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30080880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/essential_bee/pseuds/essential_bee
Summary: A trainer grows up in a world struggling to recover from the carnage that Ghetsis and his Team Plasma created a couple years prior. Where her brother failed, she will survive the Trainer Gauntlet to restore her hometown to its former glory.Whatever the cost.
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> In which our protagonist kicks a bat, a duck and a sentient loud speaker duke it out, and a gift is given.

Theo stares, paralyzed, as the Golbat slowly lands in front of her.

The drool from its fangs drips onto her leg. Its tongue dangles out of its mouth, eyes dilating as it sizes her up. There’s a sickly gaunt look to it; the usual blue fur has a gray hue. Its rancid smell sits heavy in Theo’s mouth. The fangs are a dull yellow and one of them looks chipped.

Her ears still ring from its unearthly screech it unleashed when it found her. Its owner, a similarly gaunt looking Plasma grunt, had already disappeared into a cloud of smoke and dust. From the ruckus, she can only assume that the people of Floccesy Town aren’t backing down without a fight.

Off to the side her Lillipup struggles to her paws. Dirt, blood, and spit mat Nina’s fur. Theo’s throat tightens at how disheveled she looks and, for a delirious second, she wonders just how much it’ll take to wash all that gunk out.

Nina finally gets to her paws and turns to face the bat. A growl rumbles deep within her chest.

Theo opens her mouth to say something, to yell at Nina to run away, to just _get out of there_.

The words stay tangled in her throat.

The Golbat spins to face Nina, unfurling its wings.

Shit.

Its little veins pulsate in the afternoon’s light. Pinpricks dot its wings where Nina was able to bite it. Its hiss sends spittle flying everywhere. Sensing no threat, it stalks the Lillipup, sliding from foot to foot.

Theo springs to her feet, sending pieces of rubble skittering and clacking along the broken cobblestone road. The Golbat whirls around—

There’s a satisfying _crunch_ as Theo kicks the Golbat in its face. The sound it makes when it goes flying is like metal scraping together.

She doesn’t waste time to see if it comes back.

Theo gags, as she swipes the drool off her leg. Her eyes dart down to her shoes. It’ll take weeks to wash the spittle and blood off them.

She flounders over to Nina and scoops the Lillipup up. Nina wriggles in her arms, sniffing and chuffing at her.

“Good girl, such a brave girl,” Theo coos. She recalls Nina into her pokéball with one final look over.

She sprints deeper into what remains of their small town.

Lampposts are embedded into walls, the jagged remains of windows shine with blood, and a long craggy trench splits the road. Bits of plumbing poke out from the ground and the cracked walls. The bakery shop – where an old couple gave out leftovers to scavenging Rattata and Pidgey – is demolished. As she runs past it, she skirts around the pieces of its sign scattered on the sidewalk.

She heads in the direction of the town center. There, she’ll be safer with her neighbors beside her; anything’s better than mindlessly stumbling alone.

She rounds the corner and—

Gravity stops.

One minute, she’s vaulting over the crumbled front façade of an apartment building and the next, she’s levitating a couple feet off the ground. Chunks of rubble float around her, bobbing in the field.

She fights back against the nausea as she rotates.

A flicker of movement catches her attention. A figure approaches her, the white and blue robes sending a shiver up her spine. The Plasma grunt stops in front of Theo, a sneer twisting his face.

A banged up Drowzee stands near him, its eyes glow with purple energy. It stares at her, unblinking. Sweat drips off its nose.

“What do we have here?” His voice is tight and high-pitched, and he doesn’t hold her gaze for more than a second.

Something inside her snaps at that smirk.

The stone she grabs digs into her palm.

“You’ve wandered off far from—"

Her thrown hunk of stone cuts him off.

He lets out an inhuman screech and clutches his nose. Blood dribbles between his fingers.

The combined smells of copper and sweat make her head spin.

Just for a second, the Drowzee loses concentration.

Theo plummets.

Bits and pieces of rubble stab into her bare arms. The edges of her vision fade into black, as she wheezes in a breath.

Her eyes lock with the Drowzee’s.

Its movements are in slow motion as it lifts its hand up; its black pupils disappear behind the cloud of purple.

A shadow looms over her, as a wave of debris rises. Her jaw’s so tight, she’s sure her teeth’ll shatter.

Fear locks her muscles.

She shakes. The scream that claws its way out of her throat is strangled and gurgled.

Sounds of water cracking against flesh and a howl—

The cascade of bricks, glass, wood, and metal slam against the ground.

It just misses her.

A familiar scarred Golduck comes into focus where the Drowzee and grunt stood; her forehead gem shimmers beneath the grim that covers it. Theo can’t help but rasp out a relieved laugh as she becomes lightheaded.

_Get up!_ The Golduck’s brisk voice snaps her to attention.

A weight squeezes Theo’s brain and she heaves. The Golduck enters her mind, sharpening her senses.

She hisses as the cuts and wounds on her hands and knees now turn into a blistering pain. A tension headache sparks across her forehead from the added pressure.

This is not her day.

The Pokémon’s webbed hand cools Theo’s raw wrist.

As she stumbles to her feet, the grunt twitches and moves.

He’s up. His nose bubbles with blood and it mixes with snot.

A brief image of ice freezing the grunt manifests in Theo’s mind. Without a word spoken, a bright flash of white momentarily blinds Theo when the Golduck fires off an icy beam.

He yelps and trips backwards, as ice begins to creep up his arms and legs. Soon he’s encased in a thick glacier cocoon.

A sharp laugh escapes Theo’s throat. She hadn’t expected that to actually wor—

Something drops from the grunt’s hands.

There’s an eruption of sound and a flurry of blue fur as a Loudred bursts from the grunt’s pokéball.

Even from this distance, she can see its eyes dilate when it focuses on them.

Her stomach drops.

It hurls a splintered “Welcome!” sign and the air whistles.

“Move!” She shoves the Golduck down with her. Her hair whips and tangles as it flies past them.

The sign shatters against the ground.

_Stay here_ –the Golduck pushes her behind an upturned table– _and_ don’t _move_. Her voice is a hiss in Theo’s head.

“But what if I wanna help?” Theo calls after her. A wave of psychic energy shoves her to the ground, and she huffs.

The Golduck skates forward on a self-created ice path. She darts around the Drowzee and heads for the street ditch.

The Loudred screams.

Even as Theo plugs her ears, its sonic boom rattles deep inside her, choking and buffeting her.

Windows shatter, the shards glimmering against the sunlight.

Shock waves launch upturned mailboxes at the Golduck.

The Pokémon squeezes herself together and a prismatic technicolor bubble engulfs her.

They crash.

The barrier pops and she careens backwards in the air.

A _popping_ sound explodes from the buildings, as water bursts from the pipes. Buildings shake and rattle, bits of debris and walls crumbling.

The water curls towards the Golduck, twinkling and shimmering against the sunlight. It catches, [I]envelopes[/I], her just before she hits a building.

She reorients herself and jets froward. The shop’s windows thunder and tremble under the spray she leaves in her wake.

The Loudred takes a stance, and it swells with air again, just as she crosses the trench.

A cold snap bursts from its mouth. Ice and snow crawl and creep over the overturned cars and lampposts. Theo’s thin summer clothes barely keep her warm from the sudden temperature drop. Her teeth chatter, her hands already turning pink.

The bubble of water freezes and crackles, stopping a couple feet in front of the Loudred.

A loud _donk_ reverberates in the frigid silence when the Golduck slams her fist against the ice ball. It tips and crashes against the ground. Shards of ice fly everywhere, some lodge into and dent car hoods.

The Loudred cracks off one of the icicle shards from a tipped car. It stalks forward, dragging the tip against the ground.

Theo bolts from behind the table, warnings be damned. She keeps her eyes on the Loudred, staying low to the ground.

She has only a handful of moments before its hearing returns after that scream.

She reaches a pile of snow and ice nearby. The chill bites into her hands as she crafts snowballs.

A deep breath to steady herself.

Her shoulder pops as she hurls one and it breaks on the Loudred's back. The Pokémon slowly turns to look at Theo.

The pause is deafening.

A brief thought skitters through her mind, wondering why she thought this was a good idea.

It rushes her.

She hurls snowball after snowball at it. It twitches at every impact, but it doesn’t slow down. It drops the icicle pick on the ground and it shatters.

Dread suffocates her and she finds herself crawling backwards.

As it gets closer, she notices just how much its teeth have been filed and she wonders how long it took, how many grunts it took to hold it down as they shaved and shaped its teeth.

Even as the Loudred’s mouth opens, sharp teeth flashing, Theo lays there, body frozen to the ground.

Spittle just grazes her chin.

The Golduck pops out of the ground and grabs the Loudred from behind.

In one fluid motion, she hurls it over her shoulder.

It bounces of the ground and slides across the ice, before springing back on its feet and spinning around. Its face darkens. It snarls at the panting Golduck.

The two collide with each other and become a whirling mass of blues. The sound of skin tearing as they claw and bite makes Theo wince.

The Golduck holds the Loudred down and her claws glint red in the light.

Another ear-rupturing scream from the Loudred throws the Golduck back towards Theo. The Pokémon lands with a sickening thump and rolls head over feet to land on her stomach.

It takes a moment for the Golduck to pick herself up. There’s a prominent gash across her forehead; dirt and grime cake the wound.

The Loudred stamps its foot on the ground. Its chest swells as it takes in a deep breath.

Water erupts from the Golduck’s mouth.

As droplets of water fleck Theo’s face, she stumbles backwards and falls from the power.

The Loudred crashes into the ice ball and the whole thing groans and creaks under the water pressure.

The Golduck stops.

Water cracks against the ground. The Pokémon wipes the side of her bill with the back of her hand and takes a staggering step backwards.

The Loudred slumps to the ground.

Ice begins to stain red.

_What in the sweet name of Giratina’s Seven Hells were you doing?_ The voice is a hiss in her head.

“Helping?” comes her weak reply. She offers a shaky smile.

She gets a glare in return.

Clearing her throat, she gestures at everything, as the Golduck helps her up. “How did you—” She chokes back a cough. “Arceus, you smell _awful_.” Theo pinches her nose and leans back.

_You think you smell like a bouquet of roses, Kid?_ The Pokémon snorts. _I dug my way out. Though I forgot the sewer’s underneath._

They both sidestep the hole she dug.

_Come on, we need to start moving_ , the Golduck continues after Theo’s silence. Her red eyes dart to the grunt and a low hiss escapes her bill. _Before he starts moving again._

Theo glances at the still frozen grunt. She hopes he’s freezing.

It’s awfully quiet without the cacophony happening anymore. Her heartbeat, more than happy to take over the dominating sound, thuds in her ears.

“I heard something coming from the center of town,” Theo finally says as they near the intersection. She points off to the left with a weak finger. “’S where I was going before he showed up.”

As they round the corner, they make it to the center of town. A group of townsfolk mill about, looking lost and confused. Some of them meet her gaze as she passes, but few return her nod with their own.

It’s only when she turns her attention to the pile of rubble in the center of town that her heart breaks.

The pride and joy of this rinky dinky town, a gorgeous marble fountain commissioned by the champion himself, lays cracked and in ruins. The gentle touches that the creator, Burgh, had done – which includes a hand carved piece of multiple Stoutland holding up the spouts in their mouths – are scattered, shattered, across the town center.

A rush of grief makes her dizzy. Everything that’s happened to the town clicks in her mind.

But she takes a shaking breath to calm her nerves and forces back the grief that threatens to swallow her whole. Her mother always says that misery shouldn’t be shown in public; it’ll cause too much discomfort for everybody else.

And so, like always, she follows her mom’s orders.

She hears her name being called. Wiping her eyes, she turns and her face lights up.

Benji walks closer, with his familiar dour expression. His usual pale face is tinged with pink from his exertion. His suspender straps lay askew on his shoulders and grime cakes his white button up. Theo coughs back a laugh. This is the most disheveled he’s ever been in.

Must be why he looks so surly.

His Servine shadows him. The Pokémon’s eyes dart this way and that and his tongue flicks out, as he tastes the air. Mud encrusts his usually bright green scales.

For a second, Theo has a sudden image of Benji trying to force his Pokémon into a bath after all this and she stifles back another laugh. It’s never ended well, before.

The Golduck trails behind her as she runs to Benji. She pulls him into a huge Beartic hug. He’s rigid and his arms stay at his side. Finally, Theo steps back and her smile falters as she takes in his stiff posture and frown.

He eyes the Golduck. “What’d you do to my Pokémon?” he demands.

“Plasma,” is the only response she gives.

“Shit, did you go up against a buncha Alakazam?”

He and his Pokémon watch each other and Theo’s tension headache fades to blissful nothingness, as the Golduck breaks the link between the two of them.

The gem on the Golduck’s head flickers again; for just a second, she can see Benji’s eye twitch when the new link is created. Benji’s glances back to where Theo and the Golduck had just been and lets out a bark of a laugh. “Well damn, alright then.”

Benji’s hard smile is mixed with another emotion Theo can’t place. He recalls his Golduck and snaps her pokéball back onto his belt, before crossing his arms.

The two stare at each other and there’s a beat of silence.

He punches her shoulder with a real smile that makes his eyes crinkle around the edges. He looks younger, happier.

“I had a feeling she’d listen to you; good work with the whole grunt thing,” he says.

She puffs up with pride and scuffs her shoe against the ground, shrugging. “It was nothing, I just channeled you. ‘Sides, what can I say, I had a good Pokémon to work with.”

Benji’s eyes dart to Nina’s pokéball on her hip and the smile tightens. Not wanting another lecture about the kind of Pokémon she _should_ be training, she quickly changes topic. “Do you know where Mom is? Last I heard—”

As if on cue, a familiar screech high in the air makes Benji jut his thumb back. The sour expression returns. “That’d be her, I guess.”

They turn to watch a Salamence land in front of them with a tied-up bundle of grunts dangling from his claws.

Theo grins and steps forward, holding her hand out. He snorts and lowers his head for her to pat him.

“How’s it going, Hugo?” His reply is a slobbery lick on her cheek, and she stumbles backwards. She wipes the drool off her, laughing.

Their mother slides off him, before helping Professor Juniper down. The professor’s hair is wind swept and her cheeks are bright pink.

Both stare at Benji. Professor Juniper looks delightfully surprised, but there’s a dark expression that clouds their mom’s face. Standing next to her, Benji is a direct copy: the same sharp nose, dark black hair, and deep-set brown eyes.

The same resentful look.

“Benjamin.”

“Mother,” he replies, giving her a mock bow of his head.

“I didn’t know that you were visiting today,” she says. He shrugs.

They size each other up.

Theo’s dragged out of her thoughts as her mom turns to her, expression softening. She’s pulled into a crushing hug and she lets out a wheeze. She can already feel that her mom’s black coat will be covered in dragon slobber. “I was so worried.”

“Mom, I’m OK!” Theo says, pushing from the hug. Her mom yanks her back and the hug is tighter this time.

Around the embrace, she hears Benji ask, “So, what happened here? Why’d all these Plasma goons show up?”

“We don’t have the full picture, but…we think the League’s under attack.” Professor Juniper’s voice sounds constrained.

Now Theo shoves her mom away with force. Attacking a small town is one thing but going up against a heavily fortified place where the champion resides is absurd.

“Did you just say that the League’s being attacked?” The townsfolk have crept forward and now encircle them.

Professor Juniper opens her mouth, before she’s bombarded with more questions. Their voices keep rising. It reaches a crescendo.

Theo’s mom whistles, the piercing sound of it makes everyone quiet down to a dull grumbling. “Listen, we’re all scared,” she says, “but let’s let the professor have some breathing room. Aurea?” She gestures for her to talk.

Professor Juniper clears her throat and turns her gaze to the now sizeable crowd.

“Well, like I said, we don’t know what’s going on completely. But I did get a call from a trainer about some weird movements he’d seen right before he entered the League.” She shrugs. “I was just about to leave to go back to Nuvema Town”—she and Theo’s mom share another look—“when Plasma showed up.”

Benji’s expression is stormy, and he clenches his hands into fists. “We have to help them.” A couple of other townsfolk nod and yell encouragements. Emboldened, Benji adds, “We can’t just—”

“Woah, slow down there.” Their mom grabs Benji’s shoulder. “ contacted; they should be there now.”

Benji shakes off her grasp and scoffs. “Look at how many Plasma grunts showed up here, and we’re just a small town nobody’s heard of! The League needs all the help they can get.” His supporters nod and some grasp the pokéballs at their sides.

“I wouldn’t be so sure.” Everyone turns to Professor Juniper, who stands there with her hands in her lab coat pockets. She looks off into the distance, before testing out each word as she says, “By the time we get there, it might all be over. It’s just too far away from us right now.”

“Besides, sending in a bunch of underqualified trainers just wouldn’t help," her mom points out.

Benji’s jaw ticks.

“The only thing we can do,” she continues, “is clean up Floccesy Town. Let’s hope that the League will work this all out.”  
Addressing the professor: “You said that there’s already a trainer there, yeah? He must be powerful if he’s made it to the League.” It’s almost as if she’s prompting her.

Professor Juniper smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. “Absolutely! If I remember correctly Challenger Bianca and Challenger Cheren are with him now.”

Another rise of voices swells. Some townsfolk seem satisfied with this answer, their worries slightly abated; after all, who hasn’t heard of Challenger Cheren storming through the Trainer Gauntlet?

The town’s meeting concludes with Professor Juniper walking off to call some Pokemon from the lab to help clean up. Theo’s mom steps forward, along with the mayor and one of his assistants, and they dole out tasks. A wave of relief washes over everyone; this town’s relied on itself before and survived, so why would this be any different?

Hugo is relegated to watch over the captured Plasma grunts, which he accepts with aplomb. He sits off near the destroyed fountain, splashing in the water. Any movement from them is met with a rumbling growl.

Before Theo can ask what she should do, Benji stops her. “Hold on.” He fishes for something in his pocket, before placing a pokéball in her hand.

She glances up at him with a raised eyebrow. “I don’t think I need to borrow anymore of your Poké-”

Shaking his head, Benji makes a dismissive gesture with his hand. “No, this is a gift. From AJ.” At her confused look, he adds, “They feel bad for missing your birthday last week. They had wanted to give you her then, but you know them-”

“They got distracted,” Theo and Benji say at the same time.

“This lil’ gal’s a part of Armotta and Rex’s litter. She’s apparently gotten tired of being cooped up in AJ’s apartment. ‘Walking on walls’ is how they described it.” As he talks, Theo releases the Pokémon.

An Oshawott blinks at her new surroundings, nervously fiddling with her scallop in her tiny paws.

“Hey there.” She jumps at Theo’s voice and scuttles behind Benji’s leg. She peers up at her with wide eyes.

Benji sighs and peels the Pokémon off his leg, ushering her closer to Theo.

“Does she have a name?” Theo asks, as she crouches down and slowly extends a hand. The Oshawott takes a cautious step forward, eyes darting between Theo and her hand. Once in reach, Theo gently pets her head.

“Nah, I thought I’d leave that up to you, since you like that kinda crap.” Benji shoves his hands in his pockets and rocks on the balls of his feet.

The Oshawott leans into Theo’s touch and chirps. Her fur feels smooth beneath her fingers. She begins to thump her tail against the ground as Theo scratches her under her chin.

“Sam,” she finally says. She drops her hand to her side and the newly dubbed Sam lets out a squeak, looking down at Theo’s hand and back up at Theo. “I think I’ll call you Sam.” The two blink at each other, before Sam chirps up at her again. Taking that as an answer, Theo grins.

“Fantastic. Well”–Benji claps his hands–“now that that’s done. I’m gonna head out now.”

Theo jerks her head up and stares at him, eyebrows pinched together. “You’re leaving? You’re not gonna help?”

“She’s the only reason I’m here.” He points at Sam, who waddles over to Hugo and the fountain. The two chatter – Hugo snorting and bending down so that they’re eye level and Sam chirping and waving her scallop in the air – before playing in the water with each other.

“’Sides, I just need two more badges.” It’s almost like he needs to remind himself of that, as he stares at the Pokémon playing. Rousing himself, he takes a deep breath and meets Theo’s gaze. “This is the best way I can help; when I win, I can send more money back.” He spreads his arms wide.

Theo gapes at him, words failing her.

“Since they’re the last two, I’ll be taking home a _buncha_ money. You can use it to tidy up the park or whatever.” He walks backwards as he talks, giving her a thumbs up. Then he spins around and jogs away, his Servine at his feet.

She can hear everyone moving around her; the rise of murmurs and sobs makes her feel heavy. And she knows that she should start moving, but she can’t help but stare at the retreating figure of Benji.

She takes a step forward after him.

“Theo?” Her mom has an expectant smile. Professor Juniper stands near her, eyes darting from Theo and Benji.

Theo looks over her shoulder to catch one last glimpse of him, but he’s gone.

“Coming.” And then she steps back.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which our protagonist makes her way towards Aspertia City and a new teammate joins the team.
> 
> This is set a couple years after the first chapter!

As her train pulls out of the Floccesy Town station, Theo presses her forehead against the window. It’s still off-putting to see the bisecting and grizzly division between the old and new bricks for some of the buildings. 

The town came together and made Mr. Liu and his husband new signs for their café. The kids pitched in and painted some Pokémon on the café sign; Theo made sure to never ask if that certain blob was a Pikachu or a Zigzagoon, it always devolved into scrunched up noses and tears.

Looking in, the town is, slowly but surely, getting back on its feet. Yet the sooty and ashy remains of Floccesy Town Park are a grim reminder of the attack. Most folks tend to gloss over these scars; it’s easier to laud the accomplishments than acknowledge the shortcomings. 

After all, there’s a sort of pride of bouncing back from the town being demolished, especially when they don’t have an established gym to help fix it.

Even thinking about it, however, a leaden feeling settle in her stomach. Because this is just a band-aid when the town needs surgery. League support’s essential, not another bake sale from Mr. Liu, even if his cookies and cakes are to die for.

Benji couldn’t get an audience with the League to create an official gym; he wiped at the last challenge of the Trainer Gauntlet a month after Team Plasma stormed through their town. Nobody else spoke of even attempting it, let alone acknowledging the Gauntlet’s existence. 

Theo was more than happy to take up the mantle.

She rouses herself from her thoughts, as her town disappears behind a hill. Settling back into her chair, she takes a deep breath. The earliest ticket had her leaving her mom’s house just as the sun was peaking over the horizon. 

Most of passengers are quiet, save for the occasional snore from the person a couple seats in front of her. In the background, the rhythmic clank of the train speeding along makes her eyelids heavy.

Just for a second, she’ll let herself relax.

Something nips her hand.

Theo jolts awake and wipes the drool off her cheek. A pounding headache starts between her eyes. She doesn’t remember falling asleep.

“Thanks, Neens, good save there.” She pats the Lillipup seated next to her on the head. Her Pokémon watches her. “I’m fine, just needed a quick nap.” The last part she murmurs under her breath as she checks the time.

Theo’s been asleep for almost half an hour.

It feels like the seat beneath her’s vanished and she’s left gaping into the void. She rubs the palms of her hands against her eyes. The table tray she rests her elbows on is hard and unbending. It’s the one thing that keeps her from spiraling.

Taking a calendar out from her backpack, she rearranges her schedule, noting her failure with a simple _Fell asleep_ in the box marked out for her travel. The page rips just above the curve of the “p” from her press on the pencil.

She turns her attention to the flashcards in front of her and knuckles her forehead. It’s taken her years to compile a complete list of the gym leaders and their rotating team Pokémon to map out the route she’ll take for the Gauntlet.

Creating a compendium of Unovan born Pokémon is difficult enough, let alone accounting for the fluctuating relations with the other regions.

After her diplomatic trip to Alola, Elesa returned with an Alolan Raichu and contenders scrambled to figure out how to deal with this new problem.

Up until she stepped onto the train, Theo looked up articles, interviews, and illegal battle footage to make a list as close as she could to the actual roster. Even now, she feels close to throwing up; she knows that she doesn’t have a complete list. Cheren could throw a newly captured Helioptile or even a Stufful at her and she’d struggle to find an answer.

Theo glances down at Nina, who meets her gaze with half-closed eyes. “You’d fight a bear for me, right?” she asks.

All she gets is a snore in response, as Nina drifts back to sleep.

She flips through the cards – she knows Cheren’s strategy by heart from his previous leaked matches; he loves to use the deadly Work-Up and Tackle strategy for first-time battlers – but there’s that sneaking suspicion that she’s missing something.

Did he end up going to Galar for that regional final after all? Folks on discussion boards claimed to have photos of him getting cozy with the champion there. 

Once again, she scrolls through the newsfeed, drumming her fingers on her laptop. Maybe she missed something. Other then a couple articles about odd sightings of stronger Pokémon popping up near Castelia City, there’s nothing.

Her hands shake as she puts her computer back in her backpack. 

She hopes that this is enough.

Theo stretches her arms over her head and yawns, as she gets off the train. Nina, close behind, rocks as she goes down the stairs; any offered help from Theo is met with a growl.

The station is quiet. A lone old man hobbles up the steps, a picnic basket in hand, with a tiny Rimbombee flitting around his head. A large map of Unova dominates most of the platform, the single dilapidated bench and rusty waste basket seemingly a second thought.

But that makes sense.

“Welcome to Route 19!” Theo flourishes with her hands outstretched. 

The train begins to depart to Aspertia City. As Theo puts her unruly hair up in a ponytail, Nina stares after it, before looking ahead.

The tops of Aspertia City buildings peek above the cresting tree line. A well-worn dirt path bisects a sprawling field. The golden colored sunlit grasses sway against the light breeze.

Nina turns to slowly look up at Theo.

“We’re fine,” Theo mumbles around her hair tie, “’sides, this’s our chance for some more training.” 

The Lillipup doesn’t look convinced. Her expression darkens as Theo calls Sam out. The Oshawott chirps a greeting to Nina, who pointedly ignores her.

Theo sighs and glances down at the two of them. Another wriggle of worry makes her pause; everyone knows Cheren as the type of gym leader who cracks down on Pokémon battle basics.

Teamwork’s one of them.

As Nina sits down with her back to Sam and watches the train round a corner, Theo’s hope sinks. _Can you get disqualified for having a grumpy teammate?_ She pauses, before scribbling down a reminder to look it up later. 

Just in case.

Sam tries to keep pace with Theo’s long steps and almost ends up tripping her as she gets under foot. She darts this way and that, chittering as she pauses and pokes her head into the tufts of grass.

Truth be told, Theo’s always been nervous about walking with Pokémon that are tiny; she’s terrified that one day she’ll accidentally punt them when they cross in front of her. In the space of just a minute, Theo stumbles a couple times to keep from squashing Sam.

She glances over her shoulder to see Nina plodding along with her head and tail drooping low to the ground. With a sigh, Theo stops and puts a hand on her hip. Sam’s claws dig into her calf as the Oshawott peers out behind her.

“Come on, Nina, we’re burning daylight.” She only gets a huff in reply. “Alright, you’re bringing the mood down, c’mere.” 

Theo rolls her eyes and scoops Nina up. With just a small wiggle, the Lillipup settles in her grasp without a complaint. As she walks back to Sam, Nina licks her hand tentatively. Theo suppresses a grin and hugs her closer. “I know, I’m the best, aren’t I?”

An hour into walking, Theo tells everyone to take a break when they reach a clearing. She sits down and winces as she rolls her shoulders. Sam collapses next to her and hungrily devours the offered food. On the opposite side, Nina lays her chin on Theo’s thigh and thumps her tail as Theo pets her. 

Theo breathes in the fresh air and closes her eyes, letting the sun warm her. 

Ever since she decided to take on the Trainer Gauntlet planning, preparing, and packing became precedent. As her mom liked to say, if you didn’t plan everything out, then you were doomed to fail.

“And speaking of planning….” Theo murmurs to herself. This is the perfect place to find a teammate.

From her research, there’s a slight probability that she could run into a Poliwag; based on the migration habits, they’re more likely to show up now during the summer. The potential of having a Politoad on her team makes her grin. Though she can already hear Benji scolding her about having two water types.

At the thought of her brother, her smile freezes. Her gaze flickers to her phone.

Morbid curiosity gets the best of her and she glances through her texts. Disappointment curls in her chest at his continued silence.

Her last message of _Hey! How’s it going? It’s been a while since we chatted haha_ makes her wince. She puts her head in her hands, pulling her legs closer to her chest, and groans. Perhaps a hole will materialize beneath her and she won’t need to worry about this ever again.

Something shifts in her bag and she hears eating.

“Sam, please don’t, we ne—”

Theo screams.

The thief, a Patrat, jumps and skitters away as Theo yanks the bag back. She has only a second to notice black v-shaped stripes scrawling up the Pokémon’s back.

She groans as she examines the half-eaten bag of Pokéblocks. “That cost so much.”

She opens her eyes to see the Patrat peeking out from the grasses. “Oh, come back for seconds, have we?” When the wild Pokémon doesn’t react, Theo shouts at it. It disappears into the grasses with a shriek.

“You weren’t gonna stop it? Just gonna stand there and watch?” She turns to her Pokémon who blink up at her with innocent eyes.

Trying to reel back her emotions, Theo counts to four and sets the backpack down in front of her.

“OK, _clearly_ we need to warm you guys up.” She glares over at the patch of grass that shifts from her sudden gaze. Getting a new teammate can wait. “Let’s try something basic.”

She takes her Pokédex from her pocket and flicks through the available Call Items. Though, something makes her pause. 

“I’m almost out of tents...” She bites her fingernail; the threat of spending more money looms over her. She promises herself that after she beats Cheren, she can celebrate by buying it. Maybe she can splurge and buy a Silver tent pack.

She taps the Target icon and a small pile of flimsy targets materializes in a flicker of blue light.

_Item amount_ — The automated voice fizzles out. Theo clicks her tongue and smacks the side of it, before it adds, _low._ She swears the voice sounds smug.

“Figured as much,” she mutters under her breath, as she pockets it.

Clearing her throat, she turns to her team. “Alright, here’s the plan. Sam, I want you to work on your aim. And this time, please _don’t_ spray Nina.”

The Oshawott ducks her head, trilling under her breath.

After she sets the targets up in rows, she goes over to Nina and crouches down. “And you. We need to work on your strength.” Theo looks around for a bit, before coming back a rock. She places it in front of the Lillipup.

“I want you to move this all the way over”—she draws a line in the dirt a couple feet away—“here.

“Aw come on now, don’t give me that look. You know we gotta do this.” She puts her hands on her hips. “’Sides, I can’t have you battling Sam…” She grimaces at that thought. 

As soon as Nina begins to nudge the rock, she watches for just a second. Rubbing the back of her neck, Theo chews the insides of her cheeks. The rock barely budges.

With a sigh, she turns and jogs over to Sam.

The next blast of water splinters the edge of the farthest target. Sam doubles over, panting and wheezing. Sweat beads down her forehead.

Theo surveys the targets with a frown. They don’t have time to mess up. Trying to push down the growing knot in her stomach, she grabs one of the targets in the back and moves it a couple steps closer. “Try now,” Theo commands, walking back to Sam’s side.

The Oshawott musters all she can and shoots another jet of water. More than half splinter off. Theo works her jaw as she rubs her knuckles on her lips. Sam chirps, glancing between Theo and the half-destroyed target.

It’s better than nothing.

After she pushes the other targets forward, she turns to look at Nina and sighs. By the sounds of her Lillipup grunting and heaving, the rock _should_ be close to the line. Keyword is should.

For a minute, she’s about to say something, before she decides to sit down with her backpack in her lap. She watches her two Pokémon in silence. 

If only Professor Juniper hadn’t spent so much time at the house, Theo would be in such a better position. 

Something chitters beside her and she glances to her right. Red eyes blink back at her. Theo leans on her hands and sighs as she notices the stripes.

“Ah, cool, so you’re back,” Theo says, “here to steal some more food?”

The Patrat glances at the bag of food peeking out and plays with its paws.

“Not gonna fly, sorry. Can’t give you food when they’re working so hard.” She gestures to her two struggling Pokémon.

For a moment, the Patrat watches Nina. It chirps at the rock she’s pushing and the Lillipup responds with a bitten back growl. 

Then it darts away. Theo waves goodbye at its retreating figure.

A couple moments later, where Nina started, the Patrat trundles along with its own similarly sized rock. Nina stops halfway and gawks with her ears pulled back.

“Uh, whatcha doin’?” Theo asks as she leans forward.

It heaves and pushes. It’s almost like the ground is slicked with ice from how quick its able to move it. After it crosses the line with the rock, the Patrat scampers up to Theo and holds out its paws.

Theo blinks. She has to admire the Pokémon’s tenacity at the very least.

“Do— Do you want a reward?” 

The Patrat’s grumbling stomach is the only answer she gets. 

It feels almost like she’s in a dream, as she pulls out a bag of Pokefood. She hands it a pellet and it’s gone in the next second.

“How’d you do that?” Her voice sounds faint, even to her. Theo traces the path with her eyes, her eyebrows furrowing. “Even Nina couldn’t…”

But does the “how” even matter? She can’t let a Pokémon like _that_ disappear again.

Theo slowly reaches into her backpack and pulls out a Pokéball. The Patrat flinches as she gets closer, hunkering low to the ground. A hiss gurgles in its throat.

For a beat, Theo pauses.

She takes another pellet of food. Surprisingly, her finger isn’t bitten off, despite the speed at which it’s devoured. While it’s inhaling the food, Theo taps the Patrat’s head with the Pokéball and it disappears in a flash of red.

Her Pokedex dings with the new catch.

Thoughts of having the strongest Patrat dance through her mind and she bites back a grin; with this power, they’ll destroy Cheren.

When the option to nickname the newly caught Pokémon pops up, Theo puts down the first name that pops into her mind.

“Welcome to the team, Tess.” Tess glances at her new teammates and smooths down her stomach fur.

Theo eyes her up and down. Other than looking underfed and those stripes, there isn’t anything different from what Theo’s old biology textbook explained about the species.

Sam waddles over, shaking the sweat off, and chirps a greeting. The Patrat shuffles a little closer to Theo – or perhaps it’s the food? – and blinks at the Oshawott.

Theo gets up, as Tess turns to Nina, and picks up the rock that the Patrat had just pushed over the line. She turns it over in her hands, looking for anything out of the ordinary, before placing it back at the starting line.

“Tess, push the rock again,” Theo says over her shoulder.

She doesn’t move.

Muttering under her breath, Theo walks back and shakes the bag of Pokefood. “You can have more, if you do it.”

This time, Theo pays close attention. There must be a scientific reason for this. That or her Pokedex isn’t telling her everything she needs to know, and, quite frankly, she doesn’t even want to consider that possibility. Professor Juniper was already pissed that Theo decided to take a knock-off Pokédex instead of getting an official one from her. Theo shivers at the memory.

Tess slips and slides on the ground, without the rock budging. 

Perhaps Theo’s lack of sleep has finally caught up to her. She walks over to the struggling Patrat and picks the rock up. The Pokémon collapses on the ground with a squeak.

It doesn’t feel any different and she’s almost positive it’s the same one from before.

She watches Tess for a moment. “The hell is going on?” she murmurs under her breath. Shaking the rock in front of the Patrat, she asks, “Do you know what’s happening?”

Tess chitters up at her before scampering over to the backpack and nosing inside it.

“No, not yet; we’re not done.” Theo yanks it up and is met with what sounds like a squeaky toy, as Tess scratches and claws up her leg.

She bites back a grunt as the Patrat’s nails digs into her shin and—

Nina growls. Her hackles rise as she takes a step, eyes locked on Tess.

Tess’s grip on Theo tightens. The Patrat hisses.

Nina stalks closer, the snarl is louder this time and she draws her lip back. Fangs glisten with saliva.

The Patrat leaps off Theo’s leg and darts at the Lillipup. 

A noise escapes Theo’s mouth as she scrambles to grab the pokéball, her palms sweaty.

The sounds of biting and clawing turns her stomach.

Nina gets on top of Tess and pins her to the ground, heaving and huffing.

Scratches and bites mar both of their pelts.

Sam yanks at the mass of brown fur, but a kick in the stomach sends her tumbling to the ground.

The Lillipup glances away for just a second. Tess kicks her off. The sound Nina makes when she collides with the ground sends a shiver up Theo’s spine.

That spurs Theo into action and she robotically jolts towards them. “Stop it!” 

The red light is blinding as Tess disappears.

Nina scrambles to her paws and watches Theo with wide eyes.

She gulps in air. Pushing back sweaty hair, she glares at Nina. “You can’t go around biting your new teammates’ heads off.” Her throat constrains and she closes her eyes for just a minute.

Nina whimpers and noses her leg.

This is not how Theo envisioned her journey starting. She heard of the stories about previously wild teammates fighting with their teammates, but this is ridiculous.

Theo walks over to Sam, whose eyes are like dinner plates. She helps the Oshawott up and dusts her off. “I think it’s time we continue walking to Aspertia City.”

Theo recalls Nina. Wide brown eyes are the last thing she sees, before the Lillipup disappears in a flash of red.

Sam and Theo’s cleaning up of the half-destroyed targets is in silence. Sam keeps looking over to where the two fought, playing with her scallop. 

Theo dematerializes them into the Firewood tab. Her backpack feels heavier when she slings it over her shoulders.

“Let’s go.” She crouches down and Sam crawls up to rest on her shoulder. The Oshawott’s digging claws give her, at least, some comfort.

Trying to channel as much Benji as she can, Theo squares her shoulders.

Sam coos and thumps her tail against Theo’s back as she scratches her. “Nobody’s journey every starts easy, huh?” 


End file.
